The Epiphany of our Lord, the manifestation of God the Son in the person of Jesus Christ at His Baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist, is one of the most important Feast days we celebrate in the Church, especially the Eastern Church. Many Orthodox Christians celebrate this Feast day as their “Christmas.” The Epiphany of Our Lord is an important event in salvation history. By Jesus’ Baptism we too are called to enter into the life of Christ and we do this first through our own Baptism. This is the event that Jesus Christ was revealed to the World as God’s Son and through this event and through Baptism we become the children of God. Through Baptism we are made pure, we are washed clean, and the promise that was lost through Adam’s sin is now restored in us. We have been made in the image and likeness of God but through sin our image has been distorted and in Baptism we are made pure and our image is restored.
Christ’s Baptism in the Jordan is our gateway into our life and our relationship with God and that is why this is such an important celebration for us. This Mystery of Baptism given to us by Jesus Christ is spoken of as “a new womb giving birth to new children bearing the image fo the New Adam and being vested again in the ‘robe of glory.’” In the East we focus on the Mystery of Baptism as making us a new creation and as a new birth and “through the Spirit, Christ has made us his brothers and sisters. The Father sends the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, and through the Spirit we can truly call God ‘Our Father.’” Let us celebrate this beautiful Feast day not only with Ouwaymet (honey balls) and Zilaabia, but more importantly with a renewed effort to live out our Baptismal promise and to show the world that we are God’s children, brothers and sisters of Christ.